The New Orleans Wedding Cocktail Hour Playlist

New Orleans – also known as “The Big Easy” – is a city steeped in musical history. Notably, New Orleans is famous for being the birthplace of jazz music. As per New Orleans entertainment expert Ian McNulty, “Jazz is a byproduct of the unique cultural environment found in New Orleans at the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the vestiges of French and Spanish colonial roots, the resilience of African influences after the slavery era and the influx of immigrants from Europe. The ways these cultures mingled, collided and evolved together in the Crescent City produced America’s most distinctive musical style.”

To celebrate the musical history of New Orleans, we’ve compiled a cocktail hour playlist featuring the musicians of New Orleans. Representative artists include Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Ellis Marsalis, Allen Toussaint and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The music shifts up tempo later in the session with selections by Dr. John, Ernie K-Doe and several zydeco acts, before cooling off with the lovely ballad “Do You What It Means to Miss New Orleans?”sung by Harry Connick, Jr.

For a signature cocktail, the potent Bourbon Street cocktail, the “Hurricane” has been selected. Sip it slowly!

Listen to the New Orleans Wedding Cocktail Hour on Spotify by clicking here.

The New Orleans Wedding Cocktail Hour Playlist – Compiled by DJ Gregg Ambient

1. Basin Street Blues – Sidney Bechet
2. Gladiolus Rag – Roy Eaton (composed by Scott Joplin) (note: while ragtime music was born up the Mississippi River, we included it as representative of the Jazz Age and personal favorite!)
3. When The Saints Go Marching In – Louis Armstrong
4. Just a Little While To Stay Here – Preservation Hall Jazz Band
5. Drop Me Off in New Orleans – Kermit Ruffins
6. Bourbon Street Parade – Olympia Brass Band
7. Mardi Gras in New Orleans – Professor Longhair
8. Shrimp Po-Boy, Dressed – Allen Toussaint
9. On the Sunny Side of the Street – Allen Toussaint
10. Charlie Brown – Ellis Marsalis
11. Louisiana Sunday Afternoon – Diana Schuur
12. Iko Iko – Dr. John
13. Ya Ya – Lee Dorsey
14. Mother in Law – Ernie K-Doe
15. Give Him Cornbread – Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers
16. Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire – Buckwheat Zydeco
17. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans – Harry Connick, Jr.

Listen to the New Orleans Wedding Cocktail Hour on Spotify by clicking here.

Recap of Previous Cocktail Hour Playlists

Here are our prior submissions:

1. Alternative Rock Cocktail Hour, Craft Beer (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
2. The Quintessentially Mixed Cocktail Hour, Long Island Iced Tea (DJ AQ). Click here.
3. Good Vibes Cocktail Hour, Pina Colada (DJ Iron Mike). Click here.
4. Head to Shoulder Dip Cocktail Hour, Hairy Navel (DJ Gary G). Click here.
5. Retro Soul Cocktail Hour, Ciroc Havana Coconut Martini (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
6. Smooth Sail Cocktail Hour, Malibu Bay Breeze (DJ Mike K). Click here.
7. Back to the Eighties Cocktail Hour, Midori Sour (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
8. Beach Themed Cocktail Hour, Red Stripe Beer (DJ Spinz). Click here.
9. Classic Wedding Cocktail Hour, Tanqueray & Tonic (DJ Garrett B.). Click here.
10. International Excursions Wedding Cocktail Hour, Sangria (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
11. Country Wedding Cocktail Hour, Manhattan (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
12. Crooner Wedding Cocktail Hour, Jack Daniels on the Rocks w/Splash of Water (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
13. Chanteuse Wedding Cocktail Hour, White Lady (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
14. TV Theme Songs Wedding Cocktail Hour, Coca-Cola with a side of Popcorn (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
15. Christmas Wedding Cocktail Hour, Eggnog (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
16. Boardwalk Empire / Great Gatsby Wedding Cocktail Hour, Rum Punch for a Crowd (Gregg Ambient). Click here.
17. Classic R&B Wedding Cocktail Hour, Ciroc Blue Ocean (DJ Iron Mike). Click here.
18. James Bond Wedding Cocktail Hour, Vesper Martini (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
19. Valentines Wedding Cocktail Hour, Godiva Chocolate Martini (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
20. Miami Vice Wedding Cocktail Hour, Cuba Libre (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
21. The “Super Happy Hour” Wedding Cocktail Hour, The Bob Marley (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
22. The Brazilian Wedding Cocktail Hour, Caipirinha (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
23. The New Jersey Homegrown Wedding Cocktail Hour, Boat Beer (Microbrew) (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
24. The French Connection Wedding Cocktail Hour, 2010 Canon-la-Gaffeliere (Bordeaux) (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
25. The Disco Love Wedding Cocktail Hour, Sloe Gin Fizz (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
26. The Super Funky Soul Wedding Cocktail Hour, Funky Cold Medina (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
27. The Acid Jazz Wedding Cocktail Hour, Gimlet (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
28. The 70s Soft Rock Wedding Cocktail Hour, Miller High Life (DJ Iron Mike). Click here.
29. The New York State of Mind Wedding Cocktail Hour, Bronx Martini (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
30. The Disney Wedding Cocktail Hour, Vibrant Orange Juice Frosty (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
31. The Summer Pop Wedding Cocktail Hour, Jameson & Ginger Ale (DJ Spinz). Click here.
32. The Colorful Wedding Cocktail Hour, Shot of Goldschlager (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
33. The Inspiring Ladies of Music Wedding Cocktail Hour, Brandy Alexander (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
34. The Psychedelic Wedding Cocktail Hour, Death in the Afternoon (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
35. The Surf’s Up Wedding Cocktail Hour, The Italian Surfer (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
36. The 90s Grunge Rock Wedding Cocktail Hour, Whiskey Sour (Guest Bloggers Pash & David). Click here.
37. The Nice and Easy Wedding Cocktail Hour, Dirty Martini (DJ Greg Nice). Click here.
38. The All Beatles Wedding Cocktail Hour, Bass Ale (DJ Gregg Ambient). Click here.
39. The Savannah Southern Charm Wedding Cocktail Hour, Sweet Tea Vodka Lemonade Mojito (Guest blogger Cindy Brown). Click here.
40. The All Cover Versions Wedding Cocktail Hour, Tecate Beer (Team Ambient) . Click here.
41. The Giants of Jazz Wedding Cocktail Hour, Jazz Martini (DJ Gregg Ambient) . Click here.
42. The Smooth Jazz Wedding Cocktail Hour, Kahlua & Cream (DJ Gregg Ambient) . Click here.
43. The Vintage Soul Wedding Cocktail Hour, Old-Fashioned (Guest Blogger DJ Ali Gruber) . Click here.
44. The Acquired Taste Wedding Cocktail Hour, Fernet Branca (Guest Blogger DJ Toad) . Click here.
45. The Jamaican Love Song Wedding Cocktail Hour, The Hummingbird (DJ Jazz) . Click here.
46. The Motown Wedding Cocktail Hour, The Last Word (DJ Spinz) . Click here.
47. The Broadway Wedding Cocktail Hour, The Fuzzy Greyhound (Guest bloggers Kris & Wesley) . Click here.
48. The 50 Shades of Grey Wedding Cocktail Hour, Bottle of 1999 Bollinger La Grande Annee Rose . Click here.
49. The Hip Hop Wedding Cocktail Hour, Bottle of Cristal Champagne (DJ Iron Mike) . Click here.
50. The Tropical Tradewinds Wedding Cocktail Hour, Barbados Rum Punch (DJ Marti Gras) . Click here.
51. The Reggae Wedding Cocktail Hour, Dirty Banana (DJ Sully) . Click here.
52. The Mellow Country Rock Wedding Cocktail Hour, Southern Comfort Cherry & Cola (DJ Gregg Ambient) . Click here.
53. The Space Travelers Wedding Cocktail Hour, Astronaut (DJ Gregg Ambient) . Click here.
54. The African Safari Wedding Cocktail Hour, Castle Lager Beer (DJ Gregg Ambient) . Click here.
55. The Sunset Sessions Wedding Cocktail Hour, Mojito (Guest Blogger DJ Troy Michael) . Click here.
56. The 70s Soft Rock Wedding Cocktail Hour (Volume 2), Scotch on the Rocks (DJ Iron Mike) . Click here.
57. The Bar Life Wedding Cocktail Hour , Margarita (DJ Gregg Ambient) . Click here.

About Ambient DJ Service

Ambient DJ Service is a full-service mobile NJ DJ entertainment company based in Central New Jersey that specializes in wedding DJ entertainment. Ambient DJ is a 2015 winner of the Knot Best of Weddings award as well as of the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award. We have a deep passion for the music that we play and enjoy collaborating with our brides and grooms to create unforgettable parties! For more info and to read our wedding reviews, visit us on the web at www.ambientdj.com.